Public Employee Press

Heavy Lifting

A statewide task force plans procedures to save the backs of Local 420 members

By JANE LaTOUR

“Oh, my aching back!”

This refrain is all too familiar among health care professionals. The number one cause of injuries to workers in the medical field is back trouble brought on by lifting patients. DC 37 and Local 420 are part of a new aggressive effort to build a systematic approach to preventing these serious, often debilitating back injuries.

DC 37 is one of several unions in the New York State Zero Lift Task Force, along with the state Labor Dept., the New York Committee on Occupational Safety and Health and similar groups. Representing DC 37 are Lillian Goodwine of the union’s Safety and Health Dept. and Carl Jones, safety and health coordinator for Municipal Hospital Employees Local 420.

The task force aims “to create a safe environment for patients and health care workers involved in lifting and repositioning patients.” Its goals are to protect the physical well-being of the workers, reduce negative experiences for patients, and cut costs by retaining qualified staff and reducing Workers’ Compensation claims.

Prevention a priority
“Back injuries among nurses and the group that we represent, Patient Care Associates and Nurse’s Aides actually exceed those in the construction industry,” said Goodwine. “These workers sustain more injuries and more debilitating injuries than construction workers. Then they take off less time to recover, which makes their injuries worse.”

As the task force members map the route to implementing their goals, they are participating in a series of conferences designed to demonstrate the latest technology and highlight innovative, safe patient-handling programs. The American Nurses Association, the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health co-sponsored one recent conference.

DC 37 partnered with other unions and the New York State Dept. of Labor to hold the conference on “Safe Patient Handling in Health Care” on May 23 in Albany.

DC 37 Safety and Health Director Lee Clarke spoke out against the push for additional legislation. “Getting lawsenacted is a very time-consuming process. Other remedies can bring about change, and this is where we should direct our energies and resources,” said Clarke.

While sponsors have designed some conferences foradministrators and policymakers, a session at DC 37, tentatively scheduled for fall, will target health care providers. Other measures — such as a survey designed by Goodwine and distributed to the membership of Local 420 — seek participation by the workers who actually do the heavy lifting.